Former professional footballer jailed for 13 months for cash laundering bid

A former Scottish professional footballer has been jailed for more than a year for attempting to launder nearly £400,000 in criminal cash.

James Keatings, 33, transferred the criminal funds on a street in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, on June 28 last year.

The ex-footballer was seen on Young Street moving two boxes from his white transit van into another van, which then drove away, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

When the second van was stopped by police, the boxes were found to contain 78 bundles of notes, totalling £390,040.

A forensic examination of the money and the boxes found that Keatings’ fingerprints were on a number of areas, including the money, the boxes and the elastic bands keeping the notes together.

The footballer’s former clubs include Celtic, Hearts, St Johnstone and Dundee United, and he was part of the Hibs team that won the Scottish Cup in 2016.

On August 20 at Falkirk Sheriff Court, he pleaded guilty to an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

At the same court on Friday he was sentenced to 13-and-a-half months in prison.

Handing down his sentence, Sheriff Christopher Shead said custody was the only appropriate sentence given the nature of his offending.

“I recognise, as (Keatings’ defence lawyer) Tony Graham KC has emphasised, that there are significant features of mitigation in this case,” the judge said.

“But I regret I have come to the conclusion that a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal with regard to the gravity of the offence.”

Keatings, who appeared in court dressed in black trousers and a black top, showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down.

Earlier, Keating’s lawyer told the court his client had agreed to move the cash in return for painkillers, as he was in “chronic pain” from a long-standing hip injury that had stymied the latter stages of his footballing career.

He said his client had initially been given “various prescription painkillers” for his condition, but when these proved insufficient he had begun sourcing illicit analgesics “in quantities that allowed him to self-medicate”.

He explained: “An opportunity arose to be paid in medication for performing a service, for moving this sum of money, and that he duly did.”

Mr Graham acknowledged it was a “very significant sum of money”, but said Keatings only had limited involvement with it.

“His only involvement really is as the man who handled the money and the many who transferred the money,” he said.

He added: “He has no title to the money. It was somebody else’s money”.

Commenting following the sentencing, NCA regional head of investigations Ian Thomas said: “James Keatings moved hundreds of thousands of pounds in suspected criminal funds but what he didn’t know was OCP officers were watching his every move.

“The NCA will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring offenders like Keatings to justice and disrupt offenders and their criminality, wherever there is an opportunity to do so.”

Detective Chief Inspector Laura Sands, from the organised crime and counter terrorism unit, said: “This investigation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.

“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to tackle this type of criminal activity and ensure those responsible face justice.

“Information and support from the public is vital to our work, and I would encourage anyone with information relating to organised crime to contact us through 101.”